The gay lobby’s power is limited. The A&E television network late Friday afternoon, facing a backlash and threatened boycott, reversed its decision to suspend Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson. The Robertson family offered no immediate comment.

The outrage industry was in high dudgeon just before Christmas over remarks Duck Dynasty family patriarch Phil Robertson made to GQ magazine about homosexuality. Outrage is the primary ingredient for political fundraising and political power. One must always have an enemy.

Let’s go down the “I Take Offense” checklist and make sure all the boxes were “ticked” before considering a larger point:

We’re getting lots of thoughtful mail regarding the Duck Dynasty controversy and our coverage of it. Here’s one of my favorites, published by permission of its author. I’ll append a couple of thoughts.

Marvin,

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty on Monday named the Wisconsin Department of Administration the 2013 Ebenezer Award recipient for its “Flying Spaghetti Monster” display in the Wisconsin Capitol building.

In the formerly Hindu nation of Nepal, religious tension and persecution still exist in rural areas. But Christmas is bringing interfaith celebration in the capital.

Where will it end?

Each month this fall has brought more attempts to kill the careers of anyone who speaks negatively about homosexuality. Novelist Orson Scott Card. Football analyst Craig James. Now Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson. Boycotts. Firing. “Indefinite hiatus.”

UPDATE (4 p.m. EST): The British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education has approved the creation of the law school at Trinity Western University. In its decision, the ministry confirmed that the proposal met “the degree program quality assessment criteria for private and out-of-province public institutions.”